2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU Electrical System Problems
287 NHTSA complaints on file
Electrical System Issues in the 2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU
287 electrical system complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU. Of these, 4 involved a crash, 4 involved a fire, and 7 resulted in injury.
287
Complaints
4
Crashes
4
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths
All Electrical System Complaints
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact stated that under previous vehicle ownership, the vehicle was repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control (ESC); however, the recall repair failed to prevent a failure. The contact stated that while depressing the brake pedal, the rear brake light failed to illuminate as intended; however, when the brake pedal was released, the brake lights would illuminate. No warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was contacted; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline for assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 270,000.
Power Steering Randomly Goes off taking the Traction Control with it. Terrible for the snow roads to have. Have to life the steering wheel slightly when starting to the car get it to work. Steering Angle Sensor or Torque Position Sensor Maybe??
I lost power steering while driving, making the wheel hard to turn. While the car is idle, the steering wheel shakes. Also “ESC” pops on on the dashboard.
The car will drive but is unable to turn. It's like the steering wheel is locked.
The contact owns a 2010 Chevrolet Malibu. The contact had been informed by other drivers that the brake lights failed to illuminate as intended while driving. Additionally, the contact stated that the brake lights randomly illuminated while driving. The traction control warning light was illuminated intermittently, causing the cruise control to become inoperable. The contact stated that as an independent mechanic, he had replaced the brake sensors twice; however, the failure persisted. Additionally, the contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V252000 (Electrical System, Exterior Lighting, Vehicle Speed Control, Electronic Stability Control (ESC); however, the failure persisted. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the failure might be related to the brake sensors. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 140,000.
Steering not working correctly it is ver hard to turn steering wheel. Cluster lights went out so dashboard lights do not work, brake lights not working seems to be electrical problems with the vehicle
This is in reference to GM Recall Number: 13036 - I noticed that from time to time the service traction warning comes on, service esc warning comes on, my cruise control stops working suddenly. I didn't think anything of it until I finally noticed my brake lights were illuminated in my back window without my foot being on the brake pedal. I replaced the sensor on the brake pedal hoping that would fix it and it did not. I looked up my VIN for active recalls and for some reason it's saying there are none. This is clearly the recall that is listed. I'm worried I'll be driving and someone may either rear end me or get confused thinking I'm braking when I am not. Very unsafe. I'm just unsure what to do. Any help would be appreciated as I need a vehicle and can't be without one.
The July 14, 2014 recall (13036) describes the issue perfectly. Brake lights come on when gas is pressed, goes off when brake pedal is pressed (very dangerous). Airbag, motor & traction control lights come on, message center says “ESC” “traction control”. We have had the car on multiple diagnostic tools saying it’s the module and the electrical isn’t communicating with the module… according to the recall, it is EXACTLY what is happening. We bought the car recently for our NEW driver not knowing and after HOURS of research and going to mechanics it seems to be the SAME recall but this car/VIN is not included in the recall. My child is going to get rear ended because nothing is fixing the issue and this vin doesn’t have any “recalls”
I have replaced my transmission in 2019. Car still has transmission problems. I’ve replaced my passenger headlight and lamp but the light still won’t work. My brake lights or back blinkers don’t work even after changing the fuses. Tire pressure light won’t go off. I have had this car since 2010..
THE PASSANGER AIR BAG LIGHT STAYS ON AND THE RADIO LIGHTS UP BUT NO SOUND FOR RADIO OR TURN SIGNALS.
My 2010 Chevy Malibu randomly started having electrical problems a few weeks ago. My gauge cluster lights will not turn on and I cannot see my blinkers or other information I need in the gauge cluster. The gauge cluster lights wont come on so I cannot see how fast i am going at night. The brake lights illuminate without the brake pedal being pushed. The car is difficult to get out of park. After researching the problems I found that GM has issued recalls for the BCM on Chevrolet Malibus recalling certain model year 2004-2012 Chevrolet Malibu vehicles manufactured May 16, 2003, through October 11, 2012. I then contacted my local chevy dealership and they told me my vehicles VIN does not fall under the recall they issued so I would have to pay to have the problems addressed. I explained to the dealership that this is a well known...
My airbag light just recently came on driver frontal airbag may explode NHTSA-19001900 Power steering NHTSA- 14E044000 u joint premature failure Electrical system all out of wack NHSTA-14V252000 bcm resistance result in voltage fluctuations in brake Power train- NHTSA 12V460000 4 speed automatic transmission the tabs on transmission shift cable end may fracture and separate
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? the engine / it stopped while I was driving / dealer charged me $2000 for a replacement engine, then after that my Power steering gave out , My ESC turns off and on / car jumps while driving my whole dashboard goes crazy How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? the car stopped while i was driving multiple times , my kids were in the car for 2 of them, it stops with out warning. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes the Used car dealership i bought it from is well aware and basically not helping at all Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? no...
I submitted a complaint regarding traction service/escape alerts at any given time of my 2010 Chevolet Malibu and have not received an acknowledgment of my complaint. Therefore I am hoping it has been resolved. Thank goodness, the car passed inspection on 10/17/2023 for which the complaint of the traction service alerts have affected my yearly inspection for at least 3 years. I am asking for the status of your assessment of my complaint. Thank you. [XXX] [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
THE ESC IS HARD TO STEER AND THE SEATBELT LIGHT STAYS ON EVEN WHEN I'M WEARING MY SEATBELT
Head light wire is out , electrical wire is messing up . Car is shaking bad and won’t start . Air bag light is on
I was driving down the road after I bought the car and the steering suddenly went out the DIC said "service esc" and "service traction" and I could barely move the steering wheel I was lucky to be on a country road because if I was on the highway I could have lost complete control and caused an accident I took it to a mechanic and they said "the dielectric grease in the bcm connector wore out" when I googled it I saw there was a recall but when I contacted the dealer they said there was nothing they could do for me. this is very concerning as who knows how many malibus steering could randomly go out over such a stupid problem i could be available if you would like to inspect the car/systems
Passenger side low beam headlight wiring harness connector keeps melting even after replacement. Noticed online that many owners are experiencing the same issue. Replaced harness multiple times and same issue reoccurs after two to three weeks of use.
Air bag light randomly pop on . Electrical system is so bad that I only have 1 head light and it’s very dangerous driving at night like that .
after starting car, orange triangle indicator light came on (traction control I believe) and Message: "eng reduction loss of power steering, drove to Midas for oil change a couple miles away with manual steering(more difficult that my 61 Pontiac Tempest). I turned car off and immediately restarted and power steering was restored, car was fine driving home after oil change. In addition, I've owned the car about two months and have put on around 4,000 miles(Drove it back from Arizona), I've already had the thermostat replaced in S. Dakota, fuel pump replaced in Wisconsin and exhaust manifold in Michigan.
First off the power steering goes out and can only be fixed by applying dielectric grease to the bcm but that will fix it. second the airbag light will randomly go on but this can also be remedy by fixing the yellow connection under the passenger seat try jiggling it if that doesnt fix it just cut the two wires off the connector's and splice with crimp connectors. hope this helps you as much as it did me :)
Brake lights stay on while driving but turn off when braking, engine and traction control lights come on, car acts like it's going to die. This happens intermittently and sometimes without any warning lights. I noticed this again most recently within the last week and several times on 2/25/23. Vehicle has not yet been inspected but was previously taken in for the same issue in 2020. Dealership stated that since the lights weren't staying on and no codes were stored, they weren't required to make repairs. It goes without saying that driving with faulty lights can cause an accident and is also illegal. It is highly irresponsible of GM not to repair this known issue and of NHTSA not to issue a recall.
Since sometime in 2016, these warning messages came on the dash periodically after hitting a bump - Service Traction, Service ESC, ESC off, Eng Power Reduced. The engine light stayed on. The car then ran slowly. After stopping and pulling off again, the car jerked forward. This could be dangerous in traffic! At first, I was told by a mechanic that my gas petal sensor needed to be replaced. After each of the 3 replacements, the problem seemed to be solved. But after a while, the warning messages would return after hitting another bump. The engine light would again stay on. Now, these warning messages come on every time I drive the car, with the engine light staying on. The same problems while driving still occur. A second mechanic advised me to put in this complaint, saying the problem was well-known to Chevrolet. He diagnosed it as being caused by...
Just Replaced Fuel Pump, Passenger Headlight Randomly Goes Out, Top Break Light Randomly Goes Out, Had To Replace Wiper Motor, & Fuel Pump Relay Wire Faulty. Wiring To Fuse Boxes Seem To Be Loose. Dealership or Any Other Certified Tech Will Listen or Touch To Fix The Car When Everything Is Working.
I drive down the road and the brake lights come on I hit the brake then they go off. Randomly when I drive service esc service traction come on but as soon as I turn the car off and back on it is gone. Cruise control stopped working as well.
I was driving the car safely as always and within the speed limits and an officer was heading the same direction, The brake lights got me cited for mechanical repairs. I have noticed the brake lights work yet they do not work with light pressure on the brake pedal. The officer gave a warning about brake lights and it has to be repaired ASAP. What explanation might there be for the brake light? What should I ask the mechanic to look for?
The power steering system stops working when it’s cold. There are no warning signs prior to it malfunctioning. When I get it towed to be seen or bring an mechanic to check out the problem it is always resolved before they can inspect it. This is unsafe because there is no warning and it comes and goes with no consistency. I could drive for 30 minutes without a problem and then it stops working or I could get in the car and it stops working within 5 minutes.This could easily cause an accident.
THE BRAKES ARE DOING THE SAME THING THAT WAS RECALLED AND REPAIRED BACK IN 2014. THEY ARE ILLUMINATING WHILE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND TURN OFF WHILE I HIT THE BRAKES. I HAVE BEEN PULLED OVER SEVERAL TIMES AND CANNOT GET MY CAR INSPECTED WITHOUT GETTING THIS CORRECTED. I HAVE BOUGHT SEVERAL PARTS TRYING TO REPAIR THIS BUT THE PARTS ARE NOT CORRECTING THE PROBLEM. CRUISE CONTROL, STABILITY CONTROL AND SEVER OTHER FUNCTIONS ARE NOT WORKING EITHER ALL OF THEM ARE RELATED TO THE SAME RECALL ISSUED BACK IN 2014. IS THERE ANY KIND OF WARRANTY ON THE RECALL THAT WAS REPAIRED?
The car shut off while driving down the street. Lost all control over steering and braking components. After the car shut itself off was not able to get it to turn back on after several hours. Turned it back on but when attempted to drive it home, it shit itself off again. Still could not control steering wheel
When I bought the car in December of 2018 the car only had 42,000 miles on it. I had two incidences where the anti theft system went off locking me out of the car. The second time the vehicle had to be towed back to the dealership. Fast forward to 2022 and the car only has 77,000 miles on it and in the past three months the anti theft system has gone off in this car more than ten times. I recently went to a Chevrolet dealership and had them recut keys from the vin number.
MY DAUGHTER WAS DRIVING BACK FROM SCHOOL IN A VERY BUSY ROAD AND A MESSAGE CAME UP ON THE DASH BOARD THAT SAID ENGINE POWER REDUCED AND SPEED DROPED TO 5 MPH. I TOLD HER TO PARK SOMEWHERE AND TURN OFF CAR FOR LIKE 15 MINUTES AND TURN IT BACK ON AND CAR STILL DIDNT ACCELERATE. HAD TO GO GET HER AND LEAVE CAR THERE. I JUST PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE ON NOVEMBER 2021.
I purchased the car for my mother on 10/20/2015 from Mike Savoie Chevrolet in Troy, MI. At the time I had a concern because there was a message being displayed on the car “Service ESC”, I was informed by the dealer that it was a false message and there was no issue with the car, we should just disregard but if we had any problems to let him know moving forward. At that time we did not have issues with anything else. There was about 80,000 miles on the odometer when we bought it, there are only about 95,300 now. Recently the brake lights have been coming on when the brakes are not applied, we have taken the car to a mechanic three times for this issue but he has been unable to duplicate it, as a result he felt that the brake pedal sensor was at fault and replaced...
Car will not start. There is a recall for this, but my car seems not to be included. Turn the key over and over....battery is good....will not start.....after 50 or so tries, occasionally it will start, but when you get to your destination, you have to pray it will start again. Sometimes it will....most times it won't. This is a problem with a recall. Dealership will not fix it under the recall without the car being on the list. A little help from y'all would certainly help me. I'm 73, retired, on fixed income. Cannot afford to pay a Dealership to fix this when it is a known problem. Please help....
“Engine Power Reduced” comes on suddenly, alongside numerous other lights (check engine, service traction, ESC, etc). This causes the vehicle to reduce speed in traffic, increasing risk of collision. Other models of Chevy Malibu have been recalled for this same issue (faulty throttle sensor).
While driving the power steering goes out and a warning message pops up that says ‘Service ESC’ and ‘ESC Off’. It is near impossible to turn the wheel when this happens. I was able to turn the car off and back on, and the power steering returns/messages go away, but the same problem happens on and off.
Had test drove the vehicle everything was fine, picked the vehicle up and drove it home everything was fine, parked in the back of my house the car sat over night I go to pull it out the drive way, the power steering has gotten stuck and I mean it was STUCK!, the “power steering” light came on the dash so I tried my best to turn to just pull it back in the driveway. It was so hard to turn I thought I would brake the steering wheel. Another thing whenever I ride over a bump my radio changes stations or turns off.
Service electronic stability control light comes on and brake light comes on and off at times
The airbag don’t work, I just payed 1200$ to replace the computer pc because the car wouldn’t start and that didn’t solve the problem the check engine light is always on, the car have electrical problems; if I run the Ac it blows hot and then the car go to engine power reduces within 4 minutes. If I drive the car it will go on engine power reduce after 6 minutes because the fan is not working due to the fact that that car has electrical problems and the fan is not getting enough power to warm the car up and the engine gets real hot and it go to making a loud rumbling noise and growling and I can only drive 10 mph and 40 mph the fastest but then the car go to shaking and wen I try to park the car it’s shaking Nd rumbling which can...
The passenger light beam will not come on it also messes with my radio it turns it to the aux I keep replacing the Bub in the harness and it's still not working not not to mention the car felt like a lost of power due to I guess the trance when turning a corner or pulling off. The air bag light comes on a few days and turn off.
brake lights sometimes they work sometimes they don't yes but they say the recall is 500 miles out of the recall miliage none of these have inspected it since i owned car yes service esc service transaction
Brake lights illuminate without being pressed. Service ESC and Service Traction Control lights intermittently comes on. Dealer said recall issues has already been fixed.
WENT TO DEALER TO GET A PREVIOUS RECALL THAT WAS FIXED BUT HAS SINCE THEN FAILED AGAIN AND THEY REFUSE TO FIX FREE OF CHARGE. THE RECALL INVOLVED THE BRAKE SYSTEM WHERE BRAKE LIGHTS ILLUMINATE WHILE DRIVING BUT NOT WHEN ACTUALLY PRESSING ON BRAKES.
WHILE DRIVING THE CRUISE CONTROL WILL BE SET AND ALL OF A SUDDEN TURN OFF. THE GAUGES ON THE DASH WOULD SPORATICALLY JUMP UP AND DOWN AND SOMETIMES FLATLINE AS IF THE CAR WAS OFF. WHEN BRAKING THE CRUISE CONTROL WOULD ENGAGE IF MY HAND PRESSED THE BUTTON LLOCATED ON THE STEERING WHEEL CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO SPEED UP WHILE TRYING TO SLOW DOWN. THE BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD BE ON WHILE DRIVING WITHOUT PRESSING THE BRAKES AND WOULD TURN ON ONCE BRAKES WERE PRESSED. RECALL WORK WAS REPORTED TO BE COMPLETED JANUARY 2015 BUT PROBLEMS STILL PERSIST. THERE IS ALSO A BULLETIN FOR SPECIAL COVERAGE THAT IS LIMITED TO 150,000 MILES WHICH I DON'T RECIEVE BECAUSE MY VEHICLE IS OVER THAT MILEAGE BUT THE DANGERS OF THE VEHICLE STILL PERSIST. THESE PROBLEMS HAVE BEEN PRESENT SINCE I PURCHASED THE CAR 2 OR 3 YEARS AGO. THE LAST INCIDENT HAPPENED JUST...
WHEN MAKING A TURN AT ANY SPEED, THE POWER STEERING GOES OUT AND THE DASH SAYS "POWER STEERING - ESC SERVICE". TURNING OFF THE CAR AND WAITING A MINUTE TEMPORARILY FIXED THE ISSUE
PASSENGER SIDE LOW BEAM FUSE KEEPS BLOWING
ONE DAY I WAS ON THE HIGHWAY WITH MY KIDS AND THE POWER STEERING LIGHT CAME ON AND MY WHEEL LOCKED AND IT WAS VERY HARD TO TURN IT. IT WAS VERY SCARY GOING 50 MPH TRYING TO GET OFF A EXIT AND NOT BEING ABLE TO TURN MY WHEEL. I NEEDED JUST HAVE TO LET MY CAR SIT BECAUSE I CLD NOT AFFORD THE COST TO GET IT FIXED AND I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING TO CAUSE THAT I CALLED CHEVY GAVE THEM MY VIN NUMBER AND THEY SAID THERE WASN'T A RECALL BUT I SEE PPL WITH MALIBU'S HAVE THE SAME ISSUE . THIS CLD HAVE BEEN DEADLY ME AND MY 2 KIDS COULD HAVE GOTTEN SEVERELY HURT THAT'S NOT OKAY THAT THIS HAPPENED
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS STARTED, THE BRAKE LIGHTS WOULD ILLUMINATE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE TRACTION CONTROL AND ESC WARNING LIGHTS WERE ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A LOCAL DEALER. THE BRAKE PEDAL SENSOR WAS REPLACED HOWEVER, THE FAILURE PERSISTED. UPON INVESTIGATION, THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 14V252000 (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, EXTERIOR LIGHTING, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, ELECTRONIC STABILITY CONTROL) HOWEVER, THE VIN WAS NOT INCLUDED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS INFORMED OF THE FAILURE AND THE CONTACT WAS STILL AWAITING A RESPONSE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 27,000.
THIRD BRAKE LIGHT SOMETIMES WORKS OFTEN DOES NOT WORK
IT IS THE POWER STEERING AND IT SHUTS OFF NO WARNING, LOCKS STEERING WHEEL UP I'M NOT STRONG ENOUGH TO TURN IT WHEN IT DOES. THE ESC LIGHT COMES ON AND TRACTION CONTROL GOES OFF. IT IS TRIGGERED AT TIMES BY COLD WEATHER BUT CAN CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.
WHILE TRAVELING AT 60 MPH, LOST POWER FOR A SPLIT SECOND THEN REGAINED. ABOUT 5 MILES TOWARD DESTINATION, AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT I WAS ATTEMPTING TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN & WHEN I ACCELERATED, THE CAR COMPLETELY DIED WITH LINE OF TRAFFIC BEHIND ME. SHOULD THIS CAR HAVE DIED IN THE MIDST OF HEAVY RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC WE COULD HAVE CAUSED A SERIOUS ACCIDENT WITH A CHAIN REACTION OF VEHICLES PILING UP BEHIND ME & POSSIBLE INJURIES. . WE WERE SLOWLY CREEPING AROUND THE CORNER TRYING TO CATCH A CLEAR PATH TO PROCEED WHEN THE CAR WENT DEAD. THERE HAVE PREVIOUSLY BEEN PROBLEMS WHEN AFTER DRIVING FOR 30 MINUTES THEN RETURNING TO THE CAR IT WOULD NOT START, CRANKED BUT NOT START WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS PRESENT.. BUT AFTER REPEATED RESTART ATTEMPTS IT WOULD START MAYBE AN HOUR LATER. BUT THIS TIME IT DIED IN TRAFFIC 3 DAYS AGO AND...
Other 2010 CHEVROLET MALIBU Problem Areas
Steering
444 complaints
Electronic Stability Control Esc
226 complaints
Service Brakes
183 complaints
Exterior Lighting
176 complaints
Air Bags
140 complaints
Power Train
120 complaints
Engine
115 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
111 complaints
Unknown Or Other
63 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
31 complaints
Structurebody
31 complaints
Wheels
29 complaints
Traction Control System
23 complaints
Seats
20 complaints
Visibilitywiper
19 complaints
Seat Belts
15 complaints
Service Brakes Hydraulic
15 complaints
Exterior Lightingbrake Lights
13 complaints
Latcheslockslinkages
13 complaints
Power Trainautomatic Transmission
13 complaints
Suspension
12 complaints
Structurebodydoor
10 complaints
Engine And Engine Cooling
8 complaints
Fuel System Gasoline
8 complaints
Exterior Lightingheadlights
4 complaints
Seatsfront Assemblyseat Heatercooler
4 complaints
Vehicle Speed Controlcruise Control
4 complaints
Air Bagsfrontal
3 complaints
Air Bagssidewindow
3 complaints
Electrical System Instrument Clusterpanel
3 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control
3 complaints
Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslatch
3 complaints
Structure
3 complaints
Tires
3 complaints
Wheelsrim
3 complaints
Engine And Engine Coolingengine
2 complaints
Equipment
2 complaints
Steeringcolumn
2 complaints
Steeringhydraulic Power Assistpower Steering Fluid
2 complaints
Tirespressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems
2 complaints
Electrical Systeminstrument Panelspeedometerodometer
1 complaint
Electrical Systemwiring
1 complaint
Electrical Systemwiringfuses And Circuit Breakers
1 complaint
Engine And Engine Coolingcooling System
1 complaint
Equipmentapplianceair Conditioner
1 complaint
Exterior Lightingbrake Lightsswitch
1 complaint
Exterior Lightinghazard Flashing Warning Lights
1 complaint
Interior Lighting
1 complaint
Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection
1 complaint
Latcheslockslinkagesdoorslock
1 complaint
Seat Beltsfront
1 complaint
Seatsfront Assemblyhead Restraint
1 complaint
Service Brakes Air
1 complaint
Steeringelectric Power Assist System
1 complaint
Steeringrack And Pinion
1 complaint
Suspensionfront
1 complaint
Tirestemporaryemergency Spare Tire
1 complaint
Tirestreadbelt
1 complaint
Visibilitydefrosterdefoggerhvac System
1 complaint
Visibilitypower Window Devices And Controls
1 complaint
Visibilitysunmoon Roof Assembly
1 complaint
Visibilitywindshield
1 complaint
Visibilitywindshield Wiperwasherlinkages
1 complaint
Wheelshub
1 complaint